The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) Stock Position Reduced by Yaupon Capital Management LP

Yaupon Capital Management LP decreased its position in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) by 32.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,057 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 12,283 shares during the period. Yaupon Capital Management LP’s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $8,858,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,836,648 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $7,422,932,000 after purchasing an additional 138,170 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Sherwin-Williams by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,588,755 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,239,715,000 after acquiring an additional 106,093 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,829,702 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,636,679,000 after purchasing an additional 96,571 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,316,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,467,138,000 after purchasing an additional 86,268 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,359,747,000. 77.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Colin M. Davie sold 2,799 shares of Sherwin-Williams stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.30, for a total value of $1,008,479.70. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,933,009.50. This trade represents a 34.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sherwin-Williams Price Performance

Shares of SHW opened at $322.77 on Tuesday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52-week low of $282.09 and a 52-week high of $400.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $344.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $358.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.18 billion, a PE ratio of 30.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.26.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.02. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 74.50% and a net margin of 11.61%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Sherwin-Williams’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SHW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $438.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $370.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Zelman & Associates upgraded Sherwin-Williams to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $392.50.

Sherwin-Williams Profile

The Sherwin-Williams Company engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of paints, coating, and related products to professional, industrial, commercial, and retail customers. It operates through three segments: Paint Stores Group, Consumer Brands Group, and Performance Coatings Group.